Aereo, a Boston, Massachusetts-based company that gave its users the ability to watch actual live TV from pretty much any mobile device, officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in November of this year. Just this past Wednesday, in Manhattan, NY, Judge Sean Lane of the United States Bankruptcy Court gave the former Internet TV streaming company permission to auction off the remainder of its streaming TV technology assets to the highest bidder.

The decision apparently came after an agreement over the sale process was finally reached with four television broadcasters, NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox. A stipulation of the agreement requires Aereo to allow all four of the aforementioned broadcasters to monitor and be involved in the auction. Additionally, the company must provide them with updates on the status of sale process each week.

The 2-year-old TV streaming service was officially shut down around five months before it initially filed for bankruptcy, when the United States Supreme Court ruled in a 6 to 3 vote that the concept of the TV-over-the-web Aereo company violates the Copyright Act. The court claimed at the time the ruling was made, that Aereo was not “merely an equipment provider.”

The former TV streaming company had provided its users access to broadcast TV channel programming over the Web without the use of any extra equipment. It used tiny antennas to capture broadcast TV signals. All of Aereo’s customers were assigned their own antenna and were charged anywhere from $8.00 to $12.00 per month to be able to stream live television broadcasts via their computers, smartphones or other mobile devices.

Aereo’s argument was the fact that it merely provided storage for its customers’ content; however, the TV broadcasters accused the company of rebroadcasting, copyright infringement and making money off its content.

Aereo currently has 17 potential buyers lined up to bid for its remaining assets. The bids will be due on February 20, 2015.

Aereo have been dealt at least half a dozen blows, but are still (just) standing. And on Thursday they got another kick in the teeth when US judge Alison Nathan banned them from streaming live TV via the web.

The copyright-infringement case which has been brought against Aereo by US broadcasters who want to shut down Aereo’s ‘Watch Now’ service that lets subscribers watch live TV streaming.

Judge Nathan issued a temporary injunction that stops Aereo showing any video to subscribers while it’s still being broadcast. She said in her ruling [PDF] that, “The Supreme Court has concluded that Aereo performs publicly when it retransmits Plaintiffs’ content live over the Internet and thus infringes Plaintiffs’ copyrighted works.”

She continued, “In light of this conclusion, Aereo cannot claim harm from its inability to continue infringing Plaintiffs’ copyrights. In addition, in light of the fact that Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on the merits rather than just sufficiently serious questions going to the merits, they need no longer show that the balance of hardships tips decidedly in their favor.”

The news comes after Aereo lost it’s Supreme Court case as well as a number of other appeals and rehearings of the case, which resulted in Aereo voluntarily suspending its service back in June.

The news is not a fatal blow to Aereo as the order is only preliminary and not final, and the ruling only stops streaming of content whilst being broadcast live. The judge refused (for now at least), a plea by the broadcasts to stop Aereo’s DVR service that stores video for viewing on-demand. She said that will be decided at a later date.

They may be down but Aereo are certainly not out, and a new strategy being used by them may mean they begin streaming again as a cable company.

A month ago when Aereo lost it’s Supreme Court case, part of it’s defense was that it wasn’t a cable company. B ut the court thought differently stating that Aereo were, “substantially similar” to a cable TV company. That helped to condemn Aereo to both a defeat and a shutting down of it’s re-streaming service.

But the latest twist is that Aereo are taking that ruling and are seeking a “compulsory license” to broadcast programming, just like a cable company can.

The Aereo service rents out dime-sized antennas to subscribers, which then capture local, over-the-air (OTA) TV broadcasts and retransmit them live to any connected device.

In a letter sent to Judge Alison Nathan, who is in charge of overseeing the litigation between the two parties, Aereo say that by it’s own interpretation of the law, they should be treated a cable company and be able to license programming and pay a, “statutory royalties” set by the government.

The Aereo letter says that, “If Aereo is a ‘cable system’ as that term is defined in the Copyright Act, it is eligible for a statutory license, and its transmissions may not be enjoined.”

So maybe a small chance of Aerreo returning, although with royalties to pay, would they have to put up subscription charges and become as expensive as cable?

After the devastating supreme court case loss last week, Aereo users were left wondering what would become of the internet TV service. But in a statement released today, Aereo say, “This is a pause, and that the company is not shutting down. Aereo is consulting with the court and mapping out next steps.”

The controversial Aereo service has been waged in a constant battle with TV broadcasters since launching in 2012. It culminated in a supreme court ruling which went against the company.

The Aereo rebroadcasting service has been told to cease streaming at 11.30am ET today. CEO Chet Kanojia said in an open letter to customers, “On Wednesday, the United States supreme court reversed a lower court decision in favour of Aereo, dealing a massive setback to consumers”

He continued, “As a result of that decision, our case has been returned to the lower court. We have decided to pause our operations temporarily as we consult with the court and map out our next steps. You will be able to access your cloud-based antenna and DVR only until 11.30am ET today.”

Customers concerned about their account were urged to contact the company. Chet concluded by saying, “Our journey is far from done.”

The internet TV company Aereo who have been beset by legal problems since launch, have finally been closed down by the supreme court. After the court ruled that Aereo’s streaming TV service was a violation of copyright law, Aereo said they were, “Disappointed in the outcome, but our work is not done. We will continue to fight for our consumers and fight to create innovative technologies that have a meaningful and positive impact on our world.”

Although Aereo were hopeful going into the case, having won a previous appeals court ruling which said the service did not breach copyright, the supreme court judges rejected this in a 6-3 vote against it.

The court ruling means that to continue retransmitting, Aereo would need to pay for content just like cable companies do. Aereo currently charge from $8 per month for streaming of on-demand and recorded content from most TV broadcasters.

Those broadcasters make millions from cable and satellite companies for retransmission fees. If Aereo have to do the same they would have to significantly up their prices.

Although Aereo have not indicated what will happen to the streaming service, or what it’s next move will be, the chances are the streaming will have to come to a stop. Associate director for the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, Jason Buckweitz said that if Aereo was made to pay those retransmission fees it would be, “dead in 90-days”, he also said the ruling was “A major blow for cord cutters.”

“Today’s decision by the United States Supreme Court is a massive setback for the American consumer. We’ve said all along that we worked diligently to create a technology that complies with the law, but today’s decision clearly states that how the technology works does not matter. This sends a chilling message to the technology industry. It is troubling that the Court states in its decision that, ‘to the extent commercial actors or other interested entities may be concerned with the relationship between the development and use of such technologies and the Copyright Act, they are of course free to seek action from Congress.’ (Majority, page 17) That begs the question: Are we moving towards a permission-based system for technology innovation?

“Consumer access to free-to-air broadcast television is an essential part of our country’s fabric. Using an antenna to access free-to-air broadcast television is still meaningful for more than 60 million Americans across the United States. And when new technology enables consumers to use a smarter, easier to use antenna, consumers and the marketplace win. Free-to-air broadcast television should not be available only to those who can afford to pay for the cable or satellite bundle.”

“Justice Scalia’s dissent gets its right. He calls out the majority’s opinion as ‘built on the shakiest of foundations.’ (Dissent, page 7) Justice Scalia goes on to say that ‘The Court vows that its ruling will not affect cloud-storage providers and cable television systems, see ante, at 16-17, but it cannot deliver on that promise given the imprecision of its results-driven rule.’ (Dissent, page 11)”

Aereo who launched in 2012 and operate in 11 major cities, are backed by media mogul Barry Diller, who said, “blocking this technology is a big loss for consumers”, but he congratulated Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia and his team, “for fighting the good fight.”

The decision was a major victory for broadcasters, but a major loss for consumers, although viewers can still access the over-the-air content for free if they own an antenna of course.

Aereo, the internet streaming service has been made compatible with Google’s Chromecast stick. allowing subscribers using the android app to wirelessly ‘cast’ to any big screen TV with the tap of the finger.

Prior to today, Aereo users had to connect a tablet or phone to a TV set to get big screen local network broadcasts, but the brilliance of the Chromecast means that now after casting the stream, users can free up their phone or tablet while the streaming continues.

Speaking in a blog post. Aereo said, “The Aereo app for Android is now Google Cast Ready. With Aereo’s cloud-based antenna and DVR, you now have the ability to record and watch live TV using Google’s Chromecast device.”

The Aereo service which launched in 2012 and costs from $8 per month, retransmitsover-the-air TV signals from networks such as ABC,NBC, CBS, and FOX by giving each viewer their own tiny antennae and letting them watch live and recorded content via a number of connected devices. This method say Aereo is just like each subscriber using their own antennae and is perfectly legal.

But the TV networks disagree, especially as Aereo charge their subscribers but pay nothing to the networks for content. They accuse Aereo of violating their copyright and breaking the law.

Although the courts have sided with Aereo thus far, (although a Utah court did temporarily shut down the service), the Supreme Court will make a defining decision by July. Until that day, current subscribers can at least enjoy easier streaming.